Yonsei University‘s Severance Hospital has decided to introduce non-face-to-face care program for inpatients to increase efficiency and minimize the risk of virus infection amid the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

Severance announced Tuesday that it will introduce the telemedicine application My Severance, which will make doctors’ ward rounds digital.

Patients at the hospital will be advised to download the application, which will automatically send alerts to patients at the time of their reservations with doctors.

Traditionally, in-person hospital ward rounds involve a number of healthcare providers who travel from bed to bed meeting with patients, which increases the risk of COVID-19 transmission for now.

Severance expects teleconsultations to offer a safer way to meet patients and guide their diagnosis and treatments during the pandemic. It will also save time for doctors doing their ward rounds, allowing them to spend more time with more patients, the hospital added.

Patients too expressed their satisfaction with the telemedicine program during a trial period, according to hospital.

Severance stressed that this teleconsultation measure will be only used for those patients who are staying in the hospital for care.

The hospital will also use business communication platform Microsoft Teams for their multidisciplinary care teams, allowing groups of professionals from different departments to work together and deliver a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan.

Microsoft Teams will also be used when holding an online conference, through which its many medical workers can join without risk of spreading COVID-19.